“ONLY TO RESIST AGGRESSION”

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21727, 9 March 1936, Page 9

“ONLY TO RESIST AGGRESSION”

Mr Chamberlain On

Rearmament

IRRESISTIBLE AIR FOfcCE

INTENDED

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(Received March 8, 7.57 p.m.)

LONDON, March 6

“Britain’s proposals have been received without a word of fear or anxiety throughout Europe, because people realise that our forces will never be used except to resist aggression,” said Mr Neville Chamberlain (Chancellor of the Exchequer) at Birmingham, referring to criticisms that the proposals were not defined and not specific. He said, “The critics thought the Government should say exactly how many men, tanks, guns, ships, and aeroplanes—including the speed and range of the last-named—we proposed to add.”

Mr Chamberlain explained that such answers would satisfy the curiosity of many • countries besides Britain. Moreover, such information was impossible with conditions changing every day. While the Government was paying attention to armaments, new inventions and discoveries had so transformed the problems that plans had had to be altered repeatedly. He added that long before the present ideas wore carried out it was alrpost certain the new conditions would enforce further changes. “We are •determined tp build up an air force of such terrific striking power, and capable of inflicting such terrific damage, that anyone would think long before starting hostilities,” he said- “We are not expecting war and hope it may never come, but we must be prepared for all eventualities.”

BRITAIN’S NEW AIR FORCE

HOME STRENGTH MORE THAN POUBEED

TOTAL ESTIMATES PUBLISHED

LONDON, March 6

The air estimates for 1938 amount to £43,490,600, exceeding the original estimates for 1935 by £19,639,500, and the final estimate for the year by £12,488,500. These increases, state a Government memorandum, are necessary to finance further stages of the expansion scheme which is due to be corm plated substantially by the end of the financial year.

The 1936 estimates for the fighting services, together with the navy and army estimates published earlier this week, show that the expenditure estimated for 1936 is up by £26,544.500. ‘ Details of the air estimates show that this year the payroll of the Royal Air Force is estimated at £6,518,000, compared with the 1935 estimate, including the supplementary estimate, of £5,002,000. The provision for technical and fighting stores, including experimental aud research services, is £18,491,000. compared* with £11,152,000 in 1935. The estimates show that civil aviation is also to receive more than the year’s estimate, being £760.000, compared with £595,500 in 1935. The programme of expansion begun last May included the addition of 71 new squadrons to the metropolitan air strength by March 31, 1937, bringing the total strength of the force in Britan to 123 squadrons. The present estimates provide for the substantia] completion of this programme. Four new auxiliary squadrons are to be formed and five regular squadrons. at present allotted for army co-operation, are to be reorganised to provide seven squadrons. The increased first-line establishment resulting from these measures will provide a total of 129 squadrons at home, of which 20 will be non-regular, with a strength in firstline aircraft of approximately 1750. The execution of this revised programme, including the provision of full war reserves, will extend into 1937 and 1038-

These figures, which are exclusive of the Fleet Air Arm, cCfiipare with 53 squadrons and 580 first-line aircraft on April 1, 1935.

The existing 25 squadrons overseas will be maintained during 1936 m the first-line strength of approximately 270 first-line aircraft, although the formation by 1939 of a further 12 scju&drous for service overseas has been approved. Attention is directed to the necessity under the programme of training 2500 pilots and 22,000 other men in less than two years. The success of recruiting so far indicates that the programme, in spite of its unexampled peace-time scale, will be duly carried out A sum of £204.000 is being devoted to improving ground facilities to speed up existing services. An amount of £20.000 is earmarked for Imperial Airways’ experimental Atlantic flights and £75,000 is allocated for the construction of the necessary flying-boat and land aeroplane bases. The Imperial Airways’ subsidies on the Europe-England-India services are lower, in accordance with an agreement.

Special subsidies are also allocated for the New York. Bermuda, Penang. £ and Hong Kong services. The latter is opening as soon as France authorises operation over Indo-China.